The Fall From Innocence
by Sakurazukamori6
Summary: Raito Yagami is in his last year at Daikoku Private when his class receives a strange new student by the name of Ryuuzaki Ryuhei. Who exactly is this new student? Why is he so intelligent? Why is he suddenly so interested in getting closer to Raito? And where exactly is the deathnote? Mystery. Drama. Romance. L/Raito.
1. Prosopon

"Class, we have a new student today. Ryuuzaki Ryuhei, is it? Let's help Ryuuzaki-kun get accustomed to his new environment and make him feel welcomed."

"Yoroshiku Onegaishimasu," the new student said drawing it out, but where these words usually conveyed a healthy amount of enthusiasm and respect, the monotone in which he had delivered this phrase made it sound like this person did not care much about the teacher's words or even being welcomed by his peers.

Raito turned his head towards the front of the class, drawn away from his usual day-dreaming by the new student, and he could not help but grimace as he took in the disheveled appearance of the other boy. This Ryuuzaki-person wasn't wearing his jacket for some reason, his tie was a little loose, he had not tucked in his shirt, and his gray dress pants weren't pleated and a little more loose fitting than they should be. Why the teacher wasn't saying anything to the new student about his appearance was beyond him. Raito wondered how this Ryuuzaki-person had gotten into this school. Either he was smart or he had money, which he didn't look like either. He actually looked like a foreigner. Since he had a Japanese name, he was probably half-japanese. Maybe that was why... Well it really wasn't any of his business if the new person wanted to look like a complete slouch.

"Please take a seat wherever you want, Ryuuzaki-kun," the teacher said.

"Doumo," Ryuuzaki said in a deep, nasally voice, bowing a little, but the way he was already hunched over the motion seemed more like a nod. With his hands in his pockets, the new student scanned the classroom before his dark eyes stopped and for some reason or another focused in on Raito, the brunette suddenly caught off guard by the magnetizing force behind the black void that was this person's gaze, and unable to look away for some reason as well, Raito was drawn into the very intense scrutiny of this…Ryuuzaki person.

Raito let his eyes drop from their shared gaze, as for an unchecked second, Raito had actually forgotten himself and had fixed the new student with his own sharp gaze, which he had a bad habit of reverting to when he was not wholly aware of it.

Raito did not know exactly what about this guy staring at him had made him instantly react, but whatever it was, it was probably nothing.

Raito tried not to outwardly scowl as the new student shuffled right up to him, rather right past his desk, and then nonchalantly took the seat right behind him. Raito could feel the gravity of that weighty stare transfer to the back of his head, and the brunette could not help but feel all the tiny pores on his neck raise, as he was suddenly made very aware of their proximity.

Raito wanted to tell him to cut it out, but then again, he looked like a foreigner. He might not realize he was being rude.

"Arai-kun, can you pick up where we left off from yesterday?"

"Hai!"

Raito turned the page in his textbook for show, as he had already read ahead much farther than where they were as a class currently, and then just as tersely turned his head in the direction of the window, so he could resume his daydreaming.

"Wow, talk about freaky looking," Raito heard one of the girls in his class whisper next to him. "What're you talking about? He's not your type," another boy whispered back sarcastically.

Blowing a wisp of his bangs from out of his face, Raito propped his chin up in his hand, and sighed louder than he should have, especially with the seat behind him now occupied. He was so over high school, especially with how petty and small everything seemed. Like there was nothing of worth here. This place could be so…boring.

* * *

"So I noticed you have a secret admirer?" Yamamoto said during lunch, laughing and nudging one of his other school acquaintances with his elbow. "Though he's definitely not the usual fair," the boy added with a somewhat uncertain tone, since pretty much every girl in Raito's class had confessed to the brunette already, and that had always bothered a lot of the other guys.

Raito shrugged. "I didn't notice," he lied.

"You looked like you noticed to me," one of the other boys said, and Raito could not help but be a little annoyed by the topic.

"Can we just drop it already?" Raito said, closing the lid on his bento box. These guys were being a pain.

"Whoa, you really do look bothered. I didn't mean to strike a nerve, ouji-sama."

Being nicknamed a Prince by his class had never bothered Raito, but for some reason he was not in the mood for it today.

"I'm heading back," Raito said, standing up, and as he turned sharply around to return to the classroom, he walked right into someone, the other person being knocked back a little, Raito regaining his balance as well. "Excuse m—" Raito stopped as he realized who he had suddenly run into.

"Ah, no, it was my fault," Ryuuzaki said, rubbing the center of his chest. "Though by the looks of you I did not think you would be so solid."

Raito narrowed his eyes at the new student.

 _What the hell was that supposed to mean?_

"I was actually sent here on an errand to retreat you," the new student said, as if he had not just told Raito in so many words that he was effeminate-looking. "I was told you would be the best person to consult on—"

Raito brusquely walked around the new student, Ryuuzaki's mouth still open mid-sentence, a stupid look on his face; and even though Raito wanted to thoroughly ignore the new guy, he still had a reputation to uphold as a model student.

"My notebooks are at my desk," Raito said, guessing what Ryuuzaki wanted from him, though he was still a little irritated at how the new student had approached him about it.

Ryuuzaki turned around and began trailing after Raito, his mouth still open, but now his finger hanging off his bottom lip. "The ones in your desk should be more than enough. Some of the material covered from the last month will probably be on the practice exam today. I just need a refresher."

Raito began to climb the steps toward the school entrance, but before he could clear the top step he stopped and turned back around to look down at Ryuuzaki. "You know, you might want to hold off on the practice exam since you just got here. Since it's your first day, the teacher will most likely make a rare exception for you so you don't have to take it. We have one pretty much every week, so you'd just take the one next week."

Ryuuzaki was half-way up the stairs, so he had to turn his eyes upward to look at the brunette; then the new student went onto do something very strange—and suddenly smiled at him, the expression strangely cute for someone whose features seemed accustomed to more somber, subdued expressions.

Raito blinked down at him, caught off guard by the expression and unsure as to what had brought out this reaction from the other.

"Since it can be very useless, I do not have much in the way of manners, but it is very nice to meet you, Yagami Raito, is it?" Ryuuzaki held his hand to Raito, and the brunette stared down at Ryuuzaki before he slowly slipped his hand in his own.

"It's... nice to meet you as well," Raito said hesitantly, as this Ryuuzaki person seemed to be really good at throwing him off for some reason.

Ryuuzaki shook his hand, but the way he was loosely holding onto it, it was less like a handshake and more like how someone would take your hand before they asked you to dance.

"So you write Yagami as in night and god, and Raito using moon? What a strange…and very beautiful name," Ryuuzaki said sounding somewhat awed, that small smile still on his face.

"T-thanks," Raito said, looking away before he slipped his hand from Ryuuzaki's grasp, the brunette a tad mollified since he was used to people commenting on the strangeness of his name and nothing else.

Clearing his throat, Raito turned around and headed back into the school building.

When he and Ryuuzaki made it to the classroom, Raito reached into the back of his desk, handing Ryuuzaki one of his notebooks as the brunette took the others out as well. Raito was about to start telling the new student what areas to focus on, that was until he saw Ryuuzaki drag his thumb against the collected pages of his notebook, his large dark eyes scanning quickly as he flipped through his notebook in less than a minute, and then moved onto the next in the same manner.

 _This guy…_

Students who came to Daikoku Private Academy were not stupid, or at least were good at taking tests, since the score on their entrance exam was mainly what got them a spot at one of Japan's best private high schools. So Raito was not surprised that the new student could at least speed read. He was just doing it at a rate that Raito had never seen anyone do.

"I am glad you have such neat handwriting, it makes reading it so much easier," Ryuuzaki said, as he handed him the last of the notebooks. "I should be more than prepared now, and as thanks… you should let me buy you lunch tomorrow."

"You don't have to," Raito said, putting his books away. "I mostly bring my lunch. Plus, it might be too early for you to celebrate," Raito stated matter-of-factly. "You might not pass the mock today," he said and laughed, which was usually his way of downplaying the severity of his words.

"I will pass," the new student said simply, like that wasn't even up for debate, his confidence not something Raito was used to with his peers-and Raito could not say he disliked that trait, at all.

Trying not to smile, Raito took his seat. "Well, class is almost starting, so good luck…um…"

"You can call me Ryuuzaki," the new student said, as they had not clarified titles yet. "Yagami-kun."

"Everyone, please take you seats," Raito heard his teacher say, and Raito cast one more look Ryuuzaki's way before turning around in his desk so he could take out his pencil case.

"I'm going to start passing around your booklets and multiple choice sheets. If you would clear your desks so we can begin."

* * *

The next day Raito strolled into homeroom one minute before class was about to start.

If anyone knew Raito, they knew he hated showing up too early for anything. Mind you he was never late, but he was never early either. Raito liked to think that even with his hectic everyday schedule of cram school, student body meetings, and after-school activities, that he could at least gain back some free time for himself by showing up to these things at the very last acceptable minute; free time which could be spent doing any number of early morning activities—Raito could sleep in for a little bit, if he didn't mind skipping breakfast, or he could enjoy his walk to school instead of hurrying along with the rest of the students, and even read a book for leisure on the way. On his subway commute, he could put earphones in and listen to the music he had on his phone. Or he could stop into the bookstore or convenience store on the way to school to peruse their current stock, or buy himself a snack if he did miss breakfast.

And even though half the things Raito had listed as his morning routine were frowned upon by his school – Daikoku did not care for their students being seen in public acting like well…teenagers, as they had their reputation to uphold – Raito was still of the opinion that as the best and the brightest, he should at least be allowed to get away with little things here and there.

Following rules to a T could be tiring and overly-taxing. Raito was all for conformity, but when it helped society produce results and when people were working towards a shared goal, not when it created a bunch of boring mindless drones. The ability to use one's intellect to better one's position in life, and to strive for something greater than oneself should be one of life's most important goals. Being a useful member of society, fulfilling your roles, improving your situation and the situation of those around you, changing things for the better, so when you looked back on your life, you were proud of the difference you had made…

Exams had never been all that important to Raito. After all they were a means to an end. The only way to get into a prestigious university was by scoring high on exams, and the only way he could apply for the NPA was by getting into an impressive university. And even though Raito thought all of this, he had still done a double-take at the exam results on the board as he sat down.

Every week when results came out for their mock exam, the students who scored in the top five were ranked on the board for all to see and strive towards. This week the results looked no different from any other week, with the same five people scoring ahead of their classmates, the only difference was Raito was currently sharing first place with someone else.

Raito's brows knitted together. It was strange. He assumed everyone thought he was angry, since the class had gone dead silent when he had walked in, but Raito wasn't angry. Far from it- maybe a little annoyed that it had come out of nowhere, but he was also just a little…taken aback. If the new student had placed first alongside him, that meant…Ryuuzaki had made a perfect score. Honestly, Raito did not know what to think. This was a first for him. And again, it was just a mock exam. Nothing to get worked up over. These tests were a dime a dozen. They meant nothing. Just that you could retain facts, especially with the way tests were written to prioritize memorization rather than problem-solving.

Ryuuzaki might just have a photographic memory. It seemed likely with the way he had flipped through all of his notebooks. But if that were not the case, he might actually be dealing with someone with a very high IQ. Raito bit his lip. The next time the opportunity presented itself, he would just ask. There was no need to be shy about it, and with his mind made up, Raito turned to stare out the window, feeling himself suddenly in a better mood.

* * *

His next opportunity seemed like gym. Raito and the rest of his classmates were playing a game of soccer, and Raito could not say he terribly minded the game when outdoor activity was good at breaking up the monotony of the day. He liked soccer, and he had always been especially athletic. Physical activity was very important for the development of the brain, and as far as the Greeks had viewed it, academia and exercise went hand in hand together.

The ball had been kicked out of bounds and Raito ran after it, but slowed to a stop as he saw Ryuuzaki standing hunched over in the sidelines. He was wearing their winter uniform, which was a gray sweat-shirt and black pants; however, they still had a month left until they officially switched over from their summer uniform. The uniform that Raito was currently wearing consisted of black shorts and a gray t-shirt with a black border along the neckline. Since they were playing soccer, they also had to wear the socks that went along with it, which were black knee-highs that covered their shin-guards.

Raito scooped up the ball and tossed it back in bounds, but instead of running after his team-mates, Raito found himself walking over to Ryuuzaki.

There was a netted bag of extra soccer balls near Ryuuzaki, one of the balls having rolled out of its carrier, and Raito lightly kicked it over to the other boy, who easily trapped it with his foot. "You don't like playing soccer?" Raito asked, as he had no idea why Ryuuzaki was standing here by himself.

"No, I like it well enough," the dark-haired boy said. Ryuuzaki kicked the ball up, bounced it once off his right knee. "I just cannot make myself care about team-sports, especially when they involve other males." Ryuuzaki bounced the ball on his other knee. "However, if it were the girls' team…" Ryuuzaki bounced the ball again, then caught it with the inside of his foot. "I would not mind so much."

Not able to help it, Raito laughed at Ryuuzaki's completely straight face as he said this, and while skillfully juggling the soccer ball no less. "And here I thought you were just bad at sports."

"No, not at all," Ryuuzaki said, and then pitching the ball up again, he this time caught it with his head, balancing it for a second in the tuft of his hair, before he proceeded to remove said ball from its resting place.

"You also don't seem to care about our uniform policy either," Raito said, commenting on Ryuuzaki's wrong choice of gym clothes. He usually wasn't a stickler for these things, but since he frequently substituted in for the student-body president, he was expected to care sometimes, and Raito had noticed that Ryuuzaki seemed especially indifferent to their dress code.

"I do not care for shorts," Ryuuzaki said, staring at the black ones that Raito was currently sporting. "And they are certainly short," the other boy said, still staring at him, his finger now in his mouth, his gaze suddenly transferring to the black knee-high socks that Raito was wearing. "Nice socks," Ryuuzaki said.

Raito tried not to smile at the other boy. He really was funny in his too-serious, awkward, and strangely confident way. "I'd really appreciate it if you tried harder to follow our dress code, since I'll be the one having to chase after you if the teachers start having a problem with it."

"I will certainly not be doing that, but I appreciate the effort on your part in trying to correct me," the other boy said, and Raito would have been more ticked off, if the new student hadn't said it in such a factual way.

"Well, don't say I didn't warn you," Raito said, signing. "Anyway, we should probably start heading back." His other classmates were starting to gather up their equipment from the field.

"After you," Ryuuzaki said, putting his hand out, and Raito stared at the other boy before leisurely strolling out ahead of him. "I noticed you did not bring your lunch today," Ryuuzaki suddenly said behind him. "Does this mean Yagami-kun accepts my offer to thank him for his help yesterday."

Raito pulled on the band of one of his socks even higher, not wanting it to slip down. "No…it means I just overslept and never packed my lunch," Raito said bluntly.

"Ah, I was being presumptuous then," Ryuuzaki said.

Raito turned around to look at the other boy. "I know you didn't really need my help yesterday," Raito said, finally coming out with it. He could be very blunt with people. He usually didn't make a point of it, but with this guy, it just seemed like the best way to deal with him.

"It certainly didn't hurt," Ryuuzaki added. "But yes, you have found me out. I was trying to…how do you say it 'break the ice,' which seems very appropriate, since Yagami-kun should know some of the various nicknames your class-mates have given you."

Raito frowned before he could stop himself from doing so. He knew what some of his more jealous classmates called him—Kori Oji (Ice Prince)- But bringing up something like that when you had only just met someone seemed pretty inappropriate. Raito turned around, continuing to walk ahead of the other boy, and tried to not look too offended while doing so. "It must be difficult switching schools in your last year," Raito said, trying to sound sympathetic.

"Oh very," the other boy agreed. "But I feel like Yagami-kun can be very sociable and outwardly friendly, and associating with him will make my short stay here a pleasant one."

Raito's eyebrows knitted together. He was trying to ignore the "outwardly" part of Ryuuzaki's semi-compliment.

"So it should not be too much trouble if we have lunch together?"

"If… you want to," Raito said slowly, and had no idea how he had just agreed to have lunch with this person, despite being insulted pretty much all the way through their conversation.

* * *

Raito had been about to walk over to the group of boys he usually had lunch with, when Ryuuzaki placed his tray on a small table right next to the glass-panel that ran along the outer wall of the cafeteria. He climbed into his chair in that strange way that he chose to sit, and then pulled opened the plastic package on one of the red-bean pastries he had bought.

"You don't want to sit with the rest of the guys?" Raito asked, setting his tray down on the table as well.

Ryuuzaki ripped a piece of dough from his dessert-bun and dropped it into his waiting mouth. "Ah, not really. I do not care for noise, and the view is much better over here," Ryuuzaki said, chewing noisily and staring right at him while he doing so.

Noise, huh? Raito looked over at the table on the other side of the lunchroom where his peers were seated. He didn't terribly mind sitting with other people, especially when they were good for a laugh, but it did get tiring sometimes when the conversation dragged.

"Once you get to know them, they're not so bad," Raito said, sliding his chopsticks out of the paper case, and neatly snapping them apart. "But they are loud." Raito lowered his utensils to his tray and began to take small measured bites out of his tofu-beef combo, his chewing almost noiseless. He pressed a napkin to his mouth, getting ready to speak as he finished chewing. "Thanks for lunch. You really didn't have to, especially when we both know you didn't need my help." Raito wiped his hands on his napkin, even though his hands were spotless, the act more subconscious than anything else. He picked up his water, drinking a small amount before he started in on his meal again.

Raito didn't get a response from the other boy and instead noticed that Ryuuzaki was staring at him as if he were studying him, and not knowing why he was being stared at so fixedly, Raito covered his mouth with his hand. "What?"

"You have good table manners," Ryuuzaki said, taking another noisy bite out of the fish pastry he had bought. He had gotten like ten of them for some reason. "It certainly makes the rest of us look bad."

"Because I eat with my mouth close?" Raito laughed. "It's really not that hard to make the guys around here look bad. They pretty much do it to themselves."

"It also does not hurt that you have the best scores in class too," Ryuuzaki said between mouthfuls.

"You mean, I used to," Raito swiftly corrected, setting his utensils down across his tray. Raito propped his chin up in one of his hands, studying the other person across from him. "Which brings me to my next point—you got a perfect score as well. I'm definitely not used to sharing first place with anyone, so you would see why I would be curious." Raito crossed his legs under the table, letting one of his feet tap the air. "Our teachers are also curious, because if you're this smart, they would immediately want you to be on the student body."

Ryuuzaki tilted his head, as if the shift in gravity would make all the answers come tumbling out of his head. "There is not much to me, so it should not be hard for Yagami-kun to see these things once I become more established here," Ryuuzaki said frankly. "And while I do have a photographic memory and an IQ of over 200, I would like to think that these are not the most impressive things about myself."

He had a what? Raito tried not to show the surprise on his face at what Ryuuzaki had just casually revealed to him. He had never run into someone with an IQ even remotely close to his own. Obviously, these individuals existed out there, but he had just never met anyone like that in person. Raito smiled at the other boy, trying to hide his curiosity. "So what would you consider impressive?" Raito asked, leaning more into his hand.

Ryuuzaki looked up the ceiling, his mouth falling open in thought. "Good conversation…a well-made cake… a person with inner and outer beauty...but mostly outer…"

Raito laughed. "I was actually taking you seriously. I should have known better."

"No, please take me very seriously," Ryuuzaki said, holding his gaze. "It does not look like Yagami-kun is used to any type of competition, but if you would like, I can change that very quickly."

Raito blinked at Ryuuzaki, caught off guard by the sudden change in his tone and the challenge in his voice, the other boy's gaze darkening in intensity as well. Raito could feel his heart-beat suddenly quickening in his chest and taking a small, discreet breath, he could feel the tiny hairs on the back of his neck standing on end.

Competition was not something that Raito was accustomed to. It had always been easy for him to come out on top, and after years of being number one, it seemed only natural at this point that things would never change. But to suddenly have someone challenging him and so confidently at that, Raito did not know what to think.

"Did it ever occur to you that I might not like competition?" Raito said, and frowned at the other boy in an attempt to get Ryuuzaki to back off. He didn't really like the fact that Ryuuzaki was trying to provoke him for some reason, and it had worked.

"It is hard to say since we are just having a friendly chat, but you certainly look intrigued. However, do not let my posturing ruin what has been a very pleasant lunch. To be honest, I am also very interested in Yagami-kun. It is not every day that I run into someone that appears so…perfect."

Raito gave Ryuuzaki a long, wary look before he picked up his chopsticks and resumed eating. "What? Did my classmates give me another nickname that I don't know off," Raito said nonchalantly but still in a very catty way.

Ryuuzaki dropped the finishing cake morsel into his waiting mouth and licked one of his fingers. "No, it is just something I have noticed." There was a pause from Ryuuzaki before the dark-haired boy said, "We should have lunch again tomorrow."

"I can't tell if you're asking or directing me?" Raito said, humorlessly.

"I feel we should…play nice together," Ryuuzaki said, disregarding his sarcasm without even batting an eye. "You seem very territorial, and I am encroaching after-all."

"I'm not…" Raito sighed, and tried to change the subject. "I agree; we should try to get along, and since you're now at the top of the class as well, it's good to try and set an example for the lower-classmen and our classmates."

* * *

Raito picked up a book for the subway ride home. He noticed Ryuuzaki was looking over at him and Raito openly met his gaze. They had had a rough start, what with the fact that Ryuuzaki did not seem to have any type of filter and Raito had to play nice and share first place with someone, but after mulling it over, Raito did not think it would be too hard to get along with Ryuuzaki. When the new student wasn't staring him down and being a general butt, he didn't seem…too bad. And he did want them to get along for reasons that Raito did agree with.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Raito said to Ryuuzaki.

The other boy nodded, then he glanced at the book in his hand. "I see, the Republic. If you can create your very own utopian society on the subway ride home, I will be very impressed."

Raito chuckled. "It's just some light reading," the brunette said as he slid some of his textbooks into his satchel, and then slipped the strap over his shoulder. He began to walk out of the classroom, Ryuuzaki joining him.

"Are you taking the subway too?" Raito asked as they went down the stairs and exchanged their footwear at the shoe lockers.

Ryuuzaki shook his head. "No, I do not like it when people are in my personal space."

"Do you live near to school?" Raito said. They were walking out of the entrance towards the school gates, where for some reason a cluster of students were standing around.

"No, I'm staying downtown," Ryuuzaki said.

Downtown? Downtown was mostly made up luxury apartments and 4-star hotels. Was Ryuuzaki rich? "Then how are you getting home?"

"My driver," Ryuuzaki said, as he walked through the gates past the crowd. There was a classic-looking, black Mercedes Benz parked across the street with a white-haired older gentlemen in the driver's seat, and Raito finally realized why they had so many on-lookers. He had been wondering why none of the teachers were giving Ryuuzaki a hard time about how he wore his uniform or how he sat in class. He was rich.

Raito turned towards Ryuuzaki and sighed. "So that's why."

"Would you like a ride home?" Ryuuzaki asked, completely ignoring his comment. This guy seemed really good at ignoring him when it suited him. "I am not one for political theory or philosophy, but I am very well-versed in the Socratic debate—and you certainly look like the type that has never lost an argument, if you would not mind testing that out."

"I know you don't care about school policy, but you can't park there," Raito said, ignoring Ryuuzaki in his own way as well. This guy was going to be nothing but trouble.

Ryuuzaki stared back at him as if he could not comprehend why Raito was not getting in the car to see who was the better sophist. "So far today, Yagami-kun has explained to me all the things that I cannot do. Maybe tomorrow you will let me know what I can."

Raito tried not to roll his eyes at the other boy and his completely thorough way of dismissing him when he wanted to, and instead started down the sidewalk to the subway station.

"I look forward to our lunch together," Ryuuzaki called out after him, which was ridiculously loud and had also let the rest of the class know that he and Ryuuzaki had some form of lunch date tomorrow.

As Raito was walking away, he raised his hand so Ryuuzaki knew there was no hard feelings between them. While he did not normally care for people who were inconsiderate and bossy, he had found himself for some reason making an exception for Ryuuzaki.

* * *

A/N: So many stories to update and so little time lol. I know the school theme has been beaten to death in any fandom, but there's a lot of possibilities for character development. After all Deathnote started with Raito in school so I'd like to flesh that out more and then go from there, and obviously things are not going to be as simple as they seem.

Prosopon- the Greek term for masks. They were worn by actors in Greek theater.


	2. Skene

The next day as Raito slid the class door open, he was somewhat startled by the scene in front of him, since it was all taking place at the back of the classroom, right next to his own desk.

For some reason or another, all the girls in his class were standing around Ryuuzaki's desk, which was unfortunately right behind his own.

Raito did not know if he should be cautious or just avoid this situation all together and be extra late to homeroom. When girls congregated, it was usually not a good sign.

However, by the sound of it, things did not seem as dire as he had first thought, not when he suddenly heard the group giggling-Ryuuzaki's low, nasally tone heard amidst the chorus of female voices.

"I have heard from a very informed source that diamonds can be a female's dearest friend. If that is the case, then please consider this paper diamond an acquaintance that wishes to get to know you better." Ryuuzaki placed a perfect replica of a blue diamond in origami form on one of the girl's palms. Raito could not help but look on in wry amusement. From what he could see, all the girls, with the exception of a few, had some form of origami flower. One girl had a purple butterfly, another a yellow star, and one of them even had a tiny pink origami dress. Each piece was very impressive and colorful, which Raito assumed were compliments of Mr. Harada's colored folder dividers that he kept in the locked desk at the front of the class—and which was obviously not locked anymore.

"Aw, I love it," the girl cooed.

"It's so pretty," another girl said. "How did you even know to fold it like that?"

"It is easy," Ryuuzaki said as he handed the girl a red origami rose. "It helps if you are aware of the Maekawa and the Kawasaki theorems."

All the girls looked at each other for a moment, and then burst into laughter.

"Ryuuzaki, you're so funny."

"I was not joking," the dark-haired boy said seriously, even though the girls kept laughing.

This guy was…something else, and apparently, all the other males in class seemed to be thinking along the same lines—but not in a good way-because none of them looked too happy about their respective girlfriends or crushes getting cute origami art from another guy, and right in front of them.

"Ah, good morning, Yagami-kun," Ryuuzaki greeted loudly as he saw Raito approaching his desk. Raito made eye contact with some of the girls in his way and they blushed, parting so he could actually get to his desk. He heard them giggling as they walked away.

"Good morning," Raito said casually as he placed his satchel down and took his seat. "I'm guessing you locked the teacher's desk after you were done riffling through it."

"Of course," Ryuuzaki said completely un-phased, and held out one of his hands towards Raito, closed and palm-up. "I have something for you as well," Ryuuzaki said, a small smile on his face.

Raito turned sideways in his desk to see what Ryuuzaki was up to. "What is it?" Raito asked suspiciously.

"A peace offering," Ryuuzaki said, and opening his palm he revealed a small, white, origami dove. "You have a very incessant habit of staring out the window while in class. I feel like one day you are possibly going to sprout wings and fly away. Maybe if you set your new friend on the windowsill, he will take your place and fly off instead."

Picking up the paper dove from Ryuuzaki's palm, Raito could not help but chuckle, and like he was told, he set the dove on the windowsill next to his desk and faced it outward, so it looked like the dove was about to take off into the sky.

"I am glad you like it," Ryuuzaki said.

Raito turned his head slightly and smiled at Ryuuzaki before turning forward again as homeroom started and the teacher entered.

One of the boys who Raito would have lunch with sometimes gave him a 'what the hell' look, like he did not want Raito associating with the enemy—the boy obviously upset over the fact that in one fell swoop Ryuuzaki was able to talk to the girl he had a crush on. Raito curtly ignored his classmate in favor of gazing out the window, the little dove also gazing out with him as well.

* * *

Raito pulled his shirt up and over his head.

He had dirt and mud all over his uniform from an especially vigorous game of soccer. Ryuuzaki had actually played with them this time instead of sitting it out like he usually did, and Raito had been pleasantly surprised—that was until he had gotten slide-tackled by someone aiming for Ryuuzaki, but who had unfortunately gotten him instead.

Letting his pants fall around his ankles, Raito stepped out of his clothing and grabbed his towel, heading towards the showers.

Ryuuzaki was taking up one of the few shower stalls towards the back, and Raito took the one beside him.

"Hello," Ryuuzaki said, and in a voice louder than Raito was used to hearing in the shower of all places. Honestly, no one ever talked to him here, and usually for good reason.

"Hey," Raito said back, not as bothered as he should be. "I'm surprised you actually joined us today," the brunette added, referring to the earlier game.

"Why are you surprised?" Ryuuzaki said. "You have been badgering me all week-something about class participation…"

"Well, that was before you pissed off half the males in class," Raito said, turning his face towards the spray and letting the water thoroughly drench his hair. "You know, guys don't really like it when you flirt with their girlfriends right in front of them."

"Is that so?" Ryuuzaki said, with a small smile on his face, like he knew exactly what he was doing and didn't care.

"And I really don't appreciate it when you try to drag me into as well," Raito said, and touched the back of his elbow where a large bruise was starting to form from where one of his classmates had grabbed him during the soccer match. As soon as everyone had realized that Ryuuzaki had walked onto the field with the intention to play, the atmosphere had turned suddenly tense. Raito was used to the majority of guys in his class not liking him because he was popular with the girls, so it had really not helped his reputation with the other males when Ryuuzaki walked right up to him, like they were now the best of friends.

"Tch." Raito passed his fingers over another bruise that was forming along the back of his thigh from where one of his classmates had kicked him in their frenzy to retrieve the ball. He wasn't exactly the sensitive type, but he did like to take care of his appearance, and he certainly didn't appreciate marks all over his skin, especially when none of this was his fault.

"That looks like it hurts," Ryuuzaki said, glancing over to him. He seemed to give him a once-over over the stall partition, which Raito could not say he cared for right now. "I suppose they do not call you ouji-sama for nothing."

"Can you not right now?" Raito said. "I'm starting to regret trying to be civil with you. It's not that I care to get along completely with my classmates, but you're really not helping matters."

"It is their fault they cannot take a joke."

"You have a bad sense of humor then," Raito said, even though initially he had found it funny the way Ryuuzaki had been able to monopolize the attention of the entire female body with his put-on goofiness. Raito cleared his throat.

"Well, if you are not getting along too well with your other male classmates, then it should not be too hard to figure out who you will be having lunch with from now. I have to admit I look forward to sitting together."

Raito gave Ryuuzaki a strange look. He didn't really like how Ryuuzaki had just said that, like his dragging Raito into this nonsense was…intentional. "I wasn't really thinking of changing my seating arrangements any time soon."

"Yes, I am well aware, but I also understand how class representatives usually work—they have to be friendly to everyone, especially incoming students."

It was true that at first he had been having lunch with Ryuuzaki because he was the class rep, but it had not taken very long for him to continue to sit with Ryuuzaki out of sheer…curiosity.

Ryuuzaki wasn't like any of his other classmates. Certainly, his intelligence wasn't something Raito could overlook, but it was also his demeanor, like he wasn't the type of person to follow rules, not because he was terribly defiant, but because those rules had to do more with societal norms—norms that it seemed he was aware of but did not truly understand, or could empathize with, or even agree to because they were tiresome, boring, or mostly dumb. If Raito was being honest, Ryuuzaki was actually very strange, like he wasn't used to interacting with people.

It also didn't help matters when Ryuuzaki could be so irritating one minute, and then so strangely…charming the next. Raito was not used to someone being able to say the right things to him to make him forget why he was so irritated with them in the first place.

Turning off the shower nozzle, Raito grabbed his towel and started to dry off. "So you're not even going to try to get along with the other guys?"

"I see no reason to."

"It's a surprise you even bother with me then," Raito said nonchalantly, now drying his hair.

"It helps that you are very good-looking and you laugh at my jokes."

"You're ridiculous," Raito sighed, and wrapping his towel around his waist, he exited the stall, leaving Ryuuzaki to stare after him.

* * *

"So this is what it feels like to be stood up?" Ryuuzaki said behind him, walking into the classroom to find Raito leaning out the window and staring down at the courtyard below.

Raito turned to look at Ryuuzaki and blinked, only now realizing that the other boy had walked up behind him. "Sorry, I can't make it to lunch today," Raito said and straightened from the window before he turned around and walked past Ryuuzaki towards the teacher's desk. He had been dusting two blackboard erasers out the window before Ryuuzaki had come in, and had gotten caught up in another daydream episode. "I got roped into helping out with planning for the student body."

"That is unfortunate," the other boy said, watching as Raito picked up a small stack of papers and began leafing through them.

Raito shrugged, still immersed in his task. "It happens all the time. I'm usually volunteered for these things. I'm not a part of any club, but if the student-body president is busy, I'll usually be told to take his place. I'm a sub on the soccer team. I help with the ocha and ikebana clubs, and I sometimes referee for the chess club. I stopped dealing with the tennis club since they've been too aggressive about recruiting me," Raito said, done with listing off, his attention still occupied by the papers in his hand.

"I don't mind doing this stuff during lunch break or the last period, but I have to go to juku after school, so my teachers at least understand to leave me alone when the day is done."

"So you are a part of many clubs and at the same time a member of none."

Raito finally looked up from his papers at Ryuuzaki's assessment. "I guess you could say that," Raito said, and then smiled at Ryuuzaki as he realized something. "If you're not doing anything right now, do you mind helping me out? I have to write a life-style survey for the third years. It's pretty standard, but I still wanted to test it out on someone first."

As if stopping him right there, Ryuuzaki lifted his finger. "My help usually comes at a price. If Yagami-kun does not mind owing me a favor in the foreseeable future, then I will gladly offer my services."

"I don't really like owing people anything, but we can talk about that later," Raito said, pulling out a sheet of paper from the stack in his hand.

He could hand the survey to Ryuuzaki and have him complete it on his own, but then again, he was going to have to read through the other boy's answers anyway knowing who it was, and more than that, this was the perfect chance to find out more about the person standing in front of him-that nagging curiosity within Raito unable to let go.

"What is your age?" Raito started, trying not to think too deeply about his own motivations.

Ryuuzaki smiled, but since Raito was looking down at the survey, the brunette missed the expression completely.

"I am 18."

Raito checked the appropriate age group. "Really? I assumed you were younger than me, but I guess looks can be deceiving…" Raito said, his eyes still trailing over the survey.

"What is your gender?" Raito asked, and then subsequently checked a box, yet to look up from what he was doing.

"What is your race?"

"I am half Japanese, half Caucasian."

Raito glanced up from his clip-board momentarily before checking another box.

"What is your national origin?"

"English."

Raito looked up again before lowering his eyes back to the paper. He definitely had not expected that to come out of Ryuuzaki's mouth. "Do you practice a religion?"

"No."

"What is your sexual orientation?"

Raito saw Ryuuzaki tilt his head. "I highly doubt that question is a part of your survey."

Raito chuckled. "I was just messing with you. The teachers would never allow it."

"And Yagami-kun says that I have a bad sense of humor."

"What is your combined household income?" Raito asked, moving on.

Ryuuzaki did not say anything, and Raito sighed before checking the box with the highest income bracket.

"What is your guardian(s) employment or employment status?"

"Detective."

Raito stopped scribbling.

"My guardian is a private investigator," Ryuuzaki clarified. "It's the family business so to speak."

"Oh," Raito said, wanting to ask more, but reminding himself to leave it at that. He could inquire about it at a later time.

"How many people are included in your household?"

"Three. My guardian, myself, and my twin brother."

This time Raito's pencil stopped moving all together and he looked up. "You…have a twin?" Even though he and Ryuuzaki were practically strangers, to think that this person had a twin was…surreal. Ryuuzaki was already so strange, so to think that there was another person who looked exactly like him walking around, again, seemed so bizarre.

"Is he as smart as you?" Raito found himself asking before he could stop himself.

"The survey, Yagami-kun…"

"Right," the brunette agreed, clearing his throat.

The middle bulk of the survey consisted of questions that involved how much time the student spent on certain devices, their nutritional intake, sleep patterns, extra-curricular activities, and test scores, so by the time they were done with that section, Raito had learned that Ryuuzaki drank way too much coffee, ate a disproportionate amount of sweets, slept 3 hours a day, spent the rest on his laptop, and could get flawless scores on any exam with his eyes closed and his hands tied behind his back.

"What do you do for leisure?"

"I mostly read. I am very fond of tennis as well; however, I can never find a suitable match. Also chess—I unfortunately have the same problem there." Ryuuzaki took a noticeable pause, locking eyes with him. "I am also very fond of puzzles, especially when they come in the human variety," Ryuuzaki said, his dark eyes locking on Raito like an animal would with his prey. "For me, they are very few and far between, but when I happen upon them, I cannot exactly pass it up."

Raito let his eyes drop back down to his clipboard, breaking their shared gaze. "So…it's safe to say you're considering the detective trade as well," Raito said, trying to steer the conversation in another direction. The atmosphere had turned…almost stifling, and it did not help that Ryuuzaki had a penchant to stare him down.

Ryuuzaki did not say anything in confirmation to his inquiry and Raito left it at that, feeling that he had gotten enough answers out of the other boy that he was satisfied. Raito also knew when to quit, and if he continued to pry, he might get more than he had bargained for.

"That was very long and very tedious. When you hand this survey out to the class, I will not be filling it out again."

"You have a pass," Raito said, folding up his results. They actually had a lot in common, which Raito had not expected.

"You realize I will be asking you to make good on that favor now?"

"What do you want?" Raito said, still skimming over Ryuuzaki's responses, like he had missed something.

"You live around the Kanda-Nishikicho district?"

It wasn't a secret where Raito lived, especially since a few of his classmates went to the same neighborhood juku with him, but Raito was sure Ryuuzaki had found out this bit of information from the girls in their class, since they seemed to have no problem talking to him.

"I do," Raito said slowly. "Why do you want to know?"

"Well, I have some business in that area, but I do not exactly know my way around. As someone from that neighborhood, you would be the best person to accompany me over there."

Raito gave Ryuuzaki a suspicious look. "You can't have your driver take you there?"

"I have my reasons, but I would rather not talk about them here."

Raito bit the end of the pencil. "I have Juku."

Ryuuzaki shrugged at him. "Skip it."

"I can't just skip it," Raito sighed.

"Then do you have some time before your supplementary schooling? It should not take too long to show me around. I will try not to take too much of your time."

Raito started to tap the eraser-end of his pencil against the desk in thought. "I guess… "

"Then that settles it. I will see you after school." With that Ryuuzaki deftly plucked the survey printout from Raito's hands, the brunette starting up from his desk suddenly.

"Hey-"

"Other than to test the objectivity of your survey, I see no reason for you to continue to hold onto this."

"You're in our class," Raito said in disbelief. "I need everyone's results to have an accurate total."

"Yes, but even though you say this, I still have the ability to choose who I want and who I do not want to share my information with," Ryuuzaki said, and with that he balled up the paper in his hand and walked out of the classroom.

* * *

"So you are saying a just man is always better-off than an unjust one?" Ryuuzaki asked in response to Raito's previous statement.

The pair was currently riding the metro towards Raito's neighborhood. Raito was seated, skimming through his spare-time reading, as Ryuuzaki stood hunched off to the side of him, facing the window. He had taken off his school blazer so he only had his white button-up underneath, his jacket held in one hand as he used the other to hold onto the overhead bar, his shadow falling over Raito and blocking out the pervasive orange blaze that always enveloped the train at this time of the evening.

"Of course," Raito said, snapping his book shut. "When a person is corrupt, their outward behavior and inner self are always in conflict. They can try to convince themselves that what they are doing is right, but when one sacrifices parts of themselves to gain something in return, they can never have peace."

"And this inner turmoil is only exclusive to the un-just?" Ryuuzaki asked. "Being just and seeming just can be two very different things. If a man is truly just, no one knows the strength of his moral character because he does not show it to everyone, and because he does not put it out for display, he actually seems more unjust than the person who exhibits his 'good' deeds. The just man can be treated very differently from his more unethical peers. He is not given preferential treatment. He is separate from others both in thought and action. His existence can be one of contemplation... and suffering over why he cannot simply turn a blind eye as his peers do to injustice."

There was something about Ryuuzaki's voice that was very soothing, even when the other boy was disagreeing with him. It was possibly the low tone that was felt more than heard, or the self-assured, unhurried pace. It also did not help that the sun was setting in the background and Raito had always found this part of the day to be the most relaxing. Turning his head slightly, Raito gazed out the window behind him, the station almost visible.

"It's true that good people suffer and it seems they suffer more than their counterparts," Raito said, remembering himself, "but people also have an innate sense of right and wrong. Justice is a part of the human soul-even the mere semblance of it keeps society from crumbling-and when we go against that instinct, we become like a tool that has lost its purpose. If a tool has no reason for being, it becomes rusted, dull, useless-silently suffering and unaware of its own deficiency."

The train stopped and Raito, adjusting the strap on his shoulder-bag, stood up and found himself in very close proximity to Ryuuzaki, the two exchanging a look, before Raito stepped past the other boy towards the exit, Ryuuzaki following suit.

By the time conversation had picked up again, they were out of the hustle and bustle of the station and on the sidewalk towards Raito's neighborhood, the transition of store-fronts to modern family homes almost unnoticeable.

Walking side by side, it was not hard to distinguish the pair- Ryuuzaki, disheveled in appearance, untucked shirt, shoulders hunched with his hands in his pockets, but still very intense looking, and Raito, immaculate in dress, without one wrinkle in his uniform, his posture perfect, and his face even more so.

"You say happiness and purpose both originate from justice, but what of the sociopathic serial killer?" Ryuuzaki asked. "Is he not happy in his injustice? Even when he is doing the one thing that makes him truly happy—which is killing? For these individuals to continue to exist, they must hide their true selves. If not, they cease to be."

"But it's an unnatural existence—someone who can never be truly satisfied."

"How unnatural is it?" Ryuuzaki posed. "People have killed each other since the dawn of time."

"For food, to mate, for reasons that are in line with survival. Killing someone to gain satisfaction from their death alone is unnatural. People who do these things are aberrations within society. Humans are social creatures, therefore the traits or behaviors that encourage us to coexist with each other are passed on more readily, and are our moral basis."

"Yes, they are not the majority, but to disassociate ourselves completely from them is wrong, because within us all exists the possibility, given the right or wrong circumstances, we can all become... monsters." Ryuuzaki paused for a moment, as if deep thought. "Even when we have fulfilled our basic needs, humans being exist in a constant state of want. And like the serial killer, we are all momentarily satisfied by the things that drive us. We will always want again, and these desires within us can many times make us act unjustly. This natural predisposition you speak of towards justice...from what I have seen in life, I honestly do not think we have it."

"Wait—" Raito said, and stopped as he just realized what he had done. He had been so preoccupied with listening to Ryuuzaki that he had walked past his street.

"What?" Ryuuzaki asked, stopping with him.

"It's…over here," Raito said, looking away, somewhat embarrassed—a first for him.

"So this is your neighborhood?" Ryuuzaki asked, easily moving on. "Which one is your house?" Ryuuzaki said looking around, his large eyes looking like they needed to focus on something.

Raito smiled at him. "I don't know if I want to tell you now—you've been arguing pretty hard for serial killers."

"I am not arguing for them as much as their state of being and why my family has been in business for decades," Ryuuzaki said, practicality saturating his words. "When humans stop having to worry about food or mating, they can become very strange indeed."

"On your right. It's the second to last house on the street," Raito said pointing out his residence. He then turned to Ryuuzaki, done with playing around. "Now, are you going to tell me why you wanted to come out here, or am I going to have to guess?"

"No, I told you I would let you know. I just did not wish to discuss my family business at school. You see," Ryuuzaki said, continuing on, "there is a reason why I was enrolled in your school in the middle of the year. It is because of a family emergency—you see, my brother has left the institute in which we both attended and has, for some reason or another, run away to Japan."

"And what makes you think he's here now?" Raito asked, surprised, but as a detective's son defaulting to question mode.

"He left clues to lead us here and also someone matching my description was actually spotted in this area, so yes, I have good reason to think he is here."

Raito crossed his hands over his chest in thought. "Are you getting any help from the authorities?"

"It is a family matter," Ryuuzaki answered, "so we would rather deal with this ourselves. But more than that, my brother is very observant. He knows when to show himself and when to not. If we were to get the police involved, he would go into hiding again. My brother is also...not the most stable of people."

"I never had any reason to tell you this, but my dad works at the NPA," Raito offered. "He could help you."

"Yes, I realized the moment I met you that you were the son of the chief of the NPA. You have a very distinct last name." Ryuuzaki stopped for a moment, noticing the ill-at-ease expression that was creeping onto Raito's face. "You look uneasy?"

"Well…it's just…" Raito gave Ryuuzaki a tentative look. "When you say your brother is unstable, what do you mean?"

"Ah." Ryuuzaki's eyes lit up as if he had realized his mistake in not clarifying on that matter sooner.

"If you see someone that looks exactly like me, I would advise you not to approach him. I would also advise you to not walk around here at night or early in the morning by yourself. I heard you lived in the area, so I wanted to give you a proper warning and at least see you home. Also, if you do see someone matching my description, I would very much appreciate a phone call."

Alarmed by Ryuuzaki's words, Raito stared at the other boy as if he had lost it. "Not walk around at night? Ryuuzaki, I have Juku, and I take the subway to school early in the morning. Do you realize how unreasonable your request sounds?"

Ryuuzaki nodded. "I am fully aware. It still does not change the fact that my brother might do something to you if you were to cross paths."

Raito sighed, since he had forgotten for a moment who he was talking to, and that normal human reactions did not seem to come naturally to this person. "Does he look exactly like you?" Raito asked, thinking it would be best to know in case he did run into this person.

"Yes, but there is one difference—his eyes are lighter in pigment. The color appears to come from ocular albinism."

Raito nodded. He should be worried that someone like this was walking around their neighborhood and he was, especially with his little sister coming and going from school, and his mother being at home alone during the day. He understood that Ryuuzaki did not want the authorities involved, but that did not mean he would not give his family, including his father, fair warning.

However, underneath his concern for his family, Raito felt another emotion—a more persistent, all-consuming emotion that he always had in abundance when his interest was peaked:

Curiosity.

Raito had to wonder why someone as smart as Ryuuzaki would be roaming around his neighborhood, doing what exactly? It was certainly a mystery—a mystery that Raito suddenly wanted to know more about. "Do you know why your brother would come here?" Raito asked, his curiosity winning out over his tact now.

"I am currently trying to answer that question myself," Ryuuzaki answered. "I suppose he wishes for me to figure that out as well; we have always liked to challenge each other, after all." Taking out a pen from his back pocket, Ryuuzaki reached over to Raito, removing the forgotten book from his hand in one fluid motion, and began to jot something down within one of the margins of the Republic. "My cell number," Ryuuzaki said as he handed the book back.

"Thanks," Raito said, looking down at the number and the word 'Reuel' written in elegant cursive above it. Reuel? Wasn't that…?

Without meaning to, Raito chuckled. "I'll text you my number when I get inside." He usually wasn't the type to give his phone number away like this, but he could make an exception for Ryuuzaki…

"Then I will bid you a good night," Ryuuzaki said, bowing a little, before he turned away and began to amble down the sidewalk, Raito turning as well and heading in the opposite direction towards his house to get ready for Juku.

When he was certain that he was out of sight of Raito, L turned into a side-street, a familiar black Mercedes Benz pulling up right next to him.

"Was it a good idea to let him know about B?" Wammy asked, as L climbed into the backseat.

"Well, we are not exactly getting anywhere with our current tactics," L said, as he settled himself down in his normal sitting position. "It will help to have another pair of eyes and…Yagami-kun is very intelligent. Honestly, he would make the perfect addition for the Institute." L looked down for a second in thought. "I have given him fair warning about 'my twin' so if he is B's target as I suspect, B will not get the chance to grab him if Yagami-kun were to mistake B for myself."

"Do you think he would go to such measures?" Wammy asked, putting the car into gear.

"Not when I am still playing catch up. Even though I have made contact, I am still at a disadvantage. No, the trouble will most likely start when we are at the end-game. I may have to call upon Yagami-kun's father, but I do not want to get the Japanese authorities involved in this just yet, neither do I want to hire outside help. B would most naturally go after the weakest link. The less people involved right now, the better."

"I agree."

"I will be taking tonight's shift then," L said, staring out the window towards the direction of Raito's house and unable to shake the feeling that, as he was watching Raito, he was being watched as well.

A/n: Updates are slow so bear with me.

* * *

Skene – In Greek theatre, a large rectangular building used as the backstage where actors change their costumes and masks.

Maekawa and the Kawasaki theorems- both are different theorems in mathematics about paper folding and origami crease patterns.

Plato's Republic – Socratic dialogue on the meaning of justice, the order and character of the just city-state, and the just man. This is pretty much the standard text for anyone who wants to even try to start to define justice. I'm assuming Raito has this book in several editions in his library, lol.

Reuel, another spelling for Raguel - the archangel of justice, fairness, harmony, vengeance, and redemption. It translates to friend of God or one who is intimate with God.


	3. Hypokrites

Raito did not say anything as the teacher wrote down the exam results on the board, Ryuuzaki's name being written down right next to his for the second time that month. They were about to start self-study, so as the teacher left the classroom, Raito found himself turning sideways in his desk so he could favor Ryuuzaki with a smirk.

Ryuuzaki pointed towards the notebook on Raito's desk, and getting the hint that the other boy had something to share, Raito picked up the book, setting it neatly down in front of him.

'If I had not been expecting this, I would be somewhat annoyed by your tyrannical hold on first place,' Ryuuzaki wrote down.

'Tyrannical?' Raito scoffed. 'Hardly. These tests are pure memorization. I just have a very good memory, and I do study, you know…'

'Yes… well maybe you will study less with me around. There is a very nice cake-shop near the train station and I feel like you should accompany me over there today.'

Raito let his pen trail along the spot where the point touched the paper. He had been fielding these requests from Ryuuzaki for the last week. While he could admit that Ryuuzaki was starting to grow on him and thought nothing of hanging out with him in school, it was another thing entirely for him to start hanging out with him outside of that.

Between school, all the clubs that he had to oversee, Juku, and studying, Raito was extremely busy. He just didn't have the time; and more than that, getting any closer to Ryuuzaki seemed…dangerous somehow. Raito knew how to keep his distance from people. Years and years of avoiding his classmates on a deeper-level—of turning down requests to come out to karaoke, to go eating, to attend class get-togethers—had made it so people had slowly noticed that as friendly as Yagami Raito came off, he was not completely the nicest person either.

Ice Prince, was it?

Ryuuzaki had noticed it as well. In fact, he had noticed it right off the bat, but it didn't seem to faze the dark-haired boy in the slightest. And stranger than that, Raito had found himself not minding Ryuuzaki's insistence either. Usually, he found that kind of thing annoying, but the way Ryuuzaki went about it—so confidently and yet so cavalierly- made Raito curious to see what else the other boy would do to get his attention.

'I can't…' Raito wrote out slowly.

'That did not come off as emphatic of a no as I was expecting. I can see that I am wearing you down.'

'Did you want me to put a bunch of exclamation points after it?' Raito scribbled down, smiling.

Ryuuzaki stared at him for a bit. 'You have a nice smile,' he wrote. 'You should possibly do that more often instead of the expression you default to—resting bit-' The suddenly pissed look on Raito's face made Ryuuzaki rethink finishing his sentence. 'Or maybe not,' he wrote, and smiled in that goofy way, as if to say no hard feelings. 'Cake will obviously make you feel better.'

Raito sighed.

He was slightly tempted. Juku could be so boring sometimes, and it had been awhile since he had ventured out for something more than magazine or snacks. But more than that, it might be a good way for him to take his mind off of some things he had not been trying to think about over the last month...

He couldn't just skip cram school though. His parents paid for it.

"Why don't you ask one of the girls in class to go with you?" Raito asked out loud, uncaring as to who would overhear them. Ryuuzaki was apparently very good at talking to females. When he wasn't bugging Raito, he had a habit of entertaining the girls in class with stupid pop trivia, his odd sense of humor, and weird parlor tricks that serendipitously fell out of his brain at the time.

"You are playing hard to get," Ryuuzaki said, calling him on his feint. "You are lucky I am into that sort of thing."

Raito rolled his eyes at the other boy. "Well, how interested are you in getting stood up again?"

Amused, the ghost of a smile appeared on Ryuuzaki's face, the obvious enjoyment he took from Raito's change in tone clearly discernable in the fascinated look on his face.

The teacher walked back into the classroom and Raito began to leisurely scrawl over the notebook, his eyes still calmly watching Ryuuzaki with an unconscious serpent-like gaze; the teacher leaving the way he came after a few cursory glances around the classroom.

"Maybe I have been going about this all wrong," Ryuuzaki said, locking eyes with him as well. "Taking into consideration your competitive personality, maybe instead of asking you to join me this evening or any evenings after this for that matter, we should settle this with a game of tennis. That way I do not give you a choice in the matter."

Raito narrowed his eyes at the other boy, feeling suddenly and inexplicably annoyed. "And maybe instead of worrying about _my personality_ , you should focus more on correcting the tone you're taking with me right now."

"And why would I do that?" Ryuuzaki said factually. "When it draws out what I have noticed you like to keep hidden? Like that very competitive nature of yours. And since I am a reasonable person, I am now going to give you a chance to let it out, since these written tests are obviously not enough to satisfy you."

Raito tapped one of his fingers on the desk. This was stupid… He really didn't appreciate anyone trying to tell him what to do, and Ryuuzaki really was stupidly good at getting under his skin. He should just turn around and ignore him for the rest of the day. Maybe that would teach the dark-haired boy that being confrontational with him wasn't the best way to win him over.

Or that was what Raito wanted to do, but he also knew that he was not the type to pass up a challenge, especially if it could gain him something in return. "I'll play along," Raito said, regaining his composure, "but if I win, you're going to participate in the student council as a substitute member, or at least in the same capacity that I contribute. You're also going to help me with all the other clubs that I oversee." With Ryuuzaki helping him he would have half the work to do. Honestly, it could probably be even less than that considering how smart the other boy was. It would honestly be perfect.

Ryuuzaki paused for a minute. "That does not sound fun at all."

"I'll ask the tennis club to let me use the court during gym," Raito said, ignoring the frown on Ryuuzaki's face at what Raito was proposing his punishment be. "So don't be late."

* * *

"When you asked me to play tennis with you, did you know how good I was?" Raito was taking up his place on the other side of the net. He started to bounce the ball, getting ready to serve.

Ryuuzaki nodded, hunching down even further than he usually did to ready himself to move, his tennis racket held at the ready in one of his hands. "You were the Junior National Champion when you were thirteen and for some reason or another, after attaining your goal, you stopped playing. I suspect boredom had a part to play in that."

Taking his time to warm-up, Raito kept bouncing the ball. "Then what about you? I don't think you would challenge me if you thought you were at a disadvantage in any way. Or do you like it when the odds are stacked against you?"

"No, you are correct in thinking that," Ryuuzaki replied. "Since I was the Junior English Champion when I was fifteen."

Raito stopped bouncing the ball for a moment, and then started back again after a second in thought. If Ryuuzaki was English Champion, and Raito had no reason to doubt him, then this should be…a lot of fun.

"So we should be pretty evenly matched is what you're saying?" Raito stood up to his full height, stretching his arm up…"

"Yes, if you do not take into consideration which of us wants it more."

Smirking at what he determined to be Ryuuzaki's last words, Raito served the ball at him, hitting it with enough force to make it spin. Raito knew Ryuuzaki was fast—they played soccer against each other during gym—but the sudden burst of speed that Raito saw come from the dark-haired boy made the brunette suddenly realize that he had never seen Ryuuzaki actually try to win, Ryuuzaki serving the ball solidly back at him.

Sprinting towards the ball, Raito's momentum made it so when he tried to stop he slid, but still had enough dexterity to solidly connect before he came to a halt.

Ryuuzaki back-handed the ball right back at him, and for some reason his return swing was a lot stronger than his first test serve, as if the dark-haired boy realized what he was suddenly up against and that in order to win he would have to overwhelm the brunette, and quickly—the ball flying right past Raito and into the chain link fence behind him.

Raito blinked. "Don't believe in warming up, do you?"

Ryuuzaki stared at him, his face disconcertingly bare. "When you give your enemy a chance to react, you have lost half the battle."

Raito smiled. "We're enemies now?"

"Only until you join me for cake this evening."

Raito smirked. "We'll see about that," he said.

Once they resumed their second game, the brutal back and forths, all-out-sprints, and scurries across the court, began to draw a sizeable crowd-the crowd made up of mostly members of the tennis club as well as other students that were initially drawn in by the intensity and then by the sheer speed and agility of these two players.

Before Raito could even catch his breath, Ryuuzaki had won the first set, Raito the second, and they were about to start the third and last.

Walking back towards the center of the court, Raito could feel Ryuuzaki watching him closely, as if the dark-haired boy could read his next move just by the way he walked across the court. Raito could feel the sweat trickling down his lower back and stomach, and taking a slow steadying breath, he bent down slightly and readied himself to receive Ryuuzaki's serve, the brunette twirling his racket once, then twice, thinking.

Raito had met many aggressive players, but he had never met one like Ryuuzaki that was as mentally aggressive as himself, most players using their physical strength or large builds as an intimidation factor. And while Ryuuzaki did have a freakishly strong serve, it wasn't his serve that was currently wearing Raito out.

Like Raito, it seemed like Ryuuzaki had absolute control over where he wanted the ball to land, and he was currently using this skill, like Raito had used in the past, to keep him running from the net to the back of the court, or from one side of the court to the other. He was also constantly changing the pace of the game, which was even more tiring.

Obviously, Raito was using the same tactic, but Ryuuzaki seemed to be even better at ball control than he was. It was really annoying. Raito felt somewhat sorry for all the players he had toyed with like this in the past—but only somewhat. There was something extremely…satisfying about the utterly aggressive, ruthless way Ryuuzaki played tennis.

And not able to help it, Raito winked at Ryuuzaki, the other boy pausing for a second, as if distracted by his sudden playfulness. Then as if remembering himself, Ryuuzaki smiled back at him and changed his serve stance, switching from his right hand to his left.

"I'm ambidextrous, by the way," Ryuuzaki called obnoxiously over the net. "I thought you might like to know…"

Raito raised an eyebrow at the other boy. Seriously, Ryuuzaki was such a freak sometimes. A strangely charming freak, but a freak nonetheless.

It was then that the charming freak of nature went onto spike the ball brutally hard at Raito, Raito answering with equal force, before they played out their endgame to its resolution.

Bent over, hands braced against his knees, Raito panted as beads of sweat dripped down the sides of his face and neck. On the other side of the court, Ryuuzaki had chosen to crouch down, his forearms hanging limply off his thighs, the dark-haired boy sweating and breathing hard as well.

"I…stand corrected," Raito slowly conceded, not wanting to come off as a sore loser, even though he was both annoyed and flustered by the outcome of their match.

"At the moment, I do not care to stand at all, correct or in error?" Ryuuzaki responded, still breathing hard. Ryuuzaki bent his head down towards the ground, sweat making the longer dark tendrils towards the front of his head stick to his forehead. "You have an ungodly amount of stamina, and while that kind of thing can very enjoyable, I did not realize it would take so much to wear you down."

Raito stood up and could not help but favor Ryuuzaki with a strange look. "Honestly, I'm so tired right now I can't tell if we're still talking about tennis?"

"We are," Ryuuzaki said completely straight-faced, "but on another note, I do not envy anyone that tries to have sex with you. You will give them a heart-attack."

Even though it took a lot to surprise Raito—especially when it came to Ryuuzaki's blunt sense of humor—the teen still stopped to gap at the other boy and what he had just said to him.

As if he had not noticed Raito's stunned reaction, Ryuuzaki casually walked past him towards the direction of the locker rooms, then stopped and said as an after-thought: "I will be skipping next period, and every period after that. Since you are one of the class reps, please make up some excuse on my behalf. I have all the confidence in you that everyone will whole-heartedly believe your lies."

Unable to help it, Raito narrowed his eyes at the other boy. "You can't just skip school whenever you feel like it."

"That is fine since I will not be the only one skipping. You did lose our bet, so I will be waiting for you by the cake shop."

* * *

"I was not sure you would show up. You certainly did not look too happy at the result of our tennis match, though I suppose good breeding allowed you to keep it all in."

"I'm not—" Raito stopped himself mid-sentence. He was going to have to try and stop immediately reacting to Ryuuzaki like that, since he was certain the other boy did it just to get a rise out of him. "I'm good about keeping my word," Raito said, leaving it at that. "I have a spot that might be better for us," Raito said, moving towards the back of the cake-shop towards his usual booth and taking a seat. "You can sit however you like."

"I was going to anyway," Ryuuzaki said, climbing into the booth in his usual odd way, "but I do appreciate the thought."

It was at that time that the waitress walked up to their table to take their orders—Raito asking for Cappuccino Scuro and Strawberry Chiffon and Ryuuzaki Earl Grey and a piece of Sopapilla cheesecake.

"So is this all you wanted to do? Or did you ask me out for a specific reason?"

"For the company," Ryuuzaki said simply.

Raito chuckled. "That's it?"

"Good company is very hard to find," Ryuuzaki replied, "I would think I was not the only one that felt this way on account of Yagami-kun not having any type of social life."

"I'm busy with exam-prep," Raito said casually, and made an attempt to not look bothered by what Ryuuzaki had just said. He honestly was very busy, but Raito could not deny that he did not make much of an effort to get out with his peers as he probably should have wanted to in his last year. More often than not, any spare time that he had for himself was usually spent lounging around the house, flipping through magazines, watching the news, or playing videogames.

"I was only curious about why Yagami-kun does not care about having friends, is all."

"I wouldn't go that far," Raito replied. "I don't mind people. It's not like I'm anti-social. It's just…well…" Raito knew the exact reason why he was not keen to the people around him, but communicating that reasoning to someone was a little personal. But Raito could also admit to himself that he enjoyed this person's company, and that they were oddly compatible, so much so that he felt he could speak his mind and this person would be able to actually understand. "I just get tired of talking to people sometimes. Our classmates can come off as a bit…"

"Shallow? Yes, it comes with the territory," Ryuuzaki said prosaically. "They will grow out of it, or rather they will get better at learning to hide it as they become adults."

Raito chuckled, and then grew quiet, pensive. "I know I still have a lot of growing up to do as well. We all do, but watching my peers with each other, it makes me think that the only things they really care about is money and their social status." Raito looked down at his hands, lost in thought. "Honestly, what's money and popularity when there's so much more to life than this…"

Without realizing it, L felt himself staring at the brunette sitting across from him with more focus and intensity than the situation called for. He could tell that Raito had also noticed, the teen's face going a little flush.

"Maybe I got a bit carried away," Raito said.

"Not at all," L replied quickly, wanting the brunette to continue on, but it was at that time the waitress set their orders down in front of him, the detective watching as Raito picked up his cup of coffee and took a noiseless sip, still seemingly lost in thought.

He had been waiting for Raito to drop his guard a little and speak his mind. Over the course of the past two weeks, even getting the teen to leave the bird-cage that was his school was somewhat difficult, but it had been worth it if Raito was feeling a bit more talkative.

He needed Raito to keep talking.

There was a reason why out of the 127 million people in Japan, B had taken notice of the Yagami household; and L was sure that reason was sitting right in front of him, with the looks of Narcissus and the brains of a savant. L hoped B's objective had nothing to do with the fact that Raito would make the perfect addition to Wammy House.

Ever since the incident with A, B had wanted nothing more than to the destroy the Institute; and while he knew that B was now too far gone to save, L still held out hope that B's reasoning for targeting the Yagami household was not because he was trying to send some twisted message to him and Wammy.

It was…wrong. Raito was not only young, but he seemed strangely innocent as well, and like the very fragile paper dove that L had made for him, he would not be able to properly defend himself if a trained killer like B had marked him for death.

"Are you going to work for your father after college?" L asked, cutting into his cheesecake and forking up a large piece to shovel in his mouth.

L had been doing his research. He knew that the young Yagami occasionally helped his father out with his more minor cases that dealt with theft or fraud.

Raito nodded. "I've always wanted to be a detective so I can help people. I know it sounds corny, but I really do want to make the world a better place."

For a moment, L stared at Raito. "What a lovely way to view detective work," L said, somewhat awed by the person in front of him.

Raito laughed. "You don't see it the same way?"

"…Unfortunately no," L said slowly.

Once upon a time, L had cared about people—about helping them and saving them from themselves and each other; but after more than a decade of playing witness to the ultimate evil and despair that lay contained within the human heart-the depths that it could go and the distance it could take him down with it, L had realized that in order to not take that final step into madness like B and the many others that had come before him, he would have to downsize his caseload drastically. It was half the reason he was now so selective when it came to his cases.

L thought about what Raito had just said. Coming out of anyone else's mouth, those words would have not meant much or would have seemed silly or overly-childish, but the person sitting in front of him seemed…different than other people.

Going from L's daily observations, as well as Raito's extensive school files, noted accomplishments, IQ tests, medical tests, and extra-curricular activities, Yagami Raito seemed rational, capable, confident, and sorely jaded—while also strangely innocent, moralistic and extremely motivated.

It was an odd and interesting combination of traits that L had never seen so balanced within one human being before. Almost like…he were two people living within the same body, inhabiting the same soul.

Raito was unlike anybody he had ever met, and as intelligent and capable as this seventeen-year-old appeared, L was certain that if he did set his mind to something, Raito was certain to produce results.

L smiled and stared at Raito's satchel where he undoubtedly kept his copy of the Republic. "I've never been much of an optimist," L started, "but if you are indeed the type of person that I think you are and you are able to as you say…make the world a better place, then I do not think I would mind living in your world."

For the first time in Raito Yagami's life, he felt his heart skip a beat. It was almost like the tiniest, most imperceptible hiccup in his chest. "Are you sure about that?" Raito asked teasingly to cover his own reaction. He could feel his face going warm. "You'd have to stop skipping school."

"So you are opposed to joining me tomorrow as well?"

"Not as much as I should be," Raito said without thinking about it. He and Ryuuzaki stared at each other for a bit, before the teen remembering himself and his obligations for the evening suddenly broke eye contact. Raito reached for his cup of coffee, drinking it faster than he usually cared to and picked up his bag. "I'm starting to think you enjoy seeing me late for everything," Raito said, as he stood up, getting ready to leave.

"Ah, I would prefer it if you didn't show up at all, but you have many responsibilities to many different people, so I understand."

Raito was about to reach into his jacket to retrieve his wallet, but Ryuuzaki held out his hand to stop him. "For the pleasure of good company, and the fact that you did not touch your cake, which I will be taking full advantage of as soon as you leave."

Raito laughed, and then smiled at him. "Bye, Ryuuzaki," he said warmly, before giving him one last long look with those striking molten-colored eyes and walked away, and for the second time that day, L was inexplicably struck by the fact that Yagami Raito really was too good-looking for his own good. He'd never thought about another male like that before.

L frowned despite himself and pulled the plate with Raito's uneaten cake towards himself, trying not to over-analyze the situation like he usually did. L stared down at the Strawberry Chiffon Cake-the red of the strawberries, the white frosting as pure as snow, the elegant floral decorations, the sheer neatness and proportionality of it all…

If Raito were a piece of cake, L was certain he would be Strawberry Chiffon. L took a generous bite and thought that the cake tasted sweeter than usual.

He really did like Strawberry Chiffon.

…Which really didn't change the fact that the Strawberry Chiffon in question was still seventeen years old, no matter how mature it seemed, L told himself, before strangely pushing the cake away to the other side of the table. Not that any of this should matter since he was working a case and the only reason why he needed to get close to Raito was to find out why B was targeting him. For some reason he was really unfocused today.

L frowned and then reached for the cake again, but his phone suddenly ringing jarred him out of his thoughts.

L looked down at the number- and immediately pressed the button for the built-in tracker in his phone, before answering.

"If I didn't see it with my own two eyes I wouldn't believe it, but you almost look like you're enjoying yourself. It almost makes me sick…"

 _B…_

L froze, stood up, and turned towards the large glass façade at the front of the cake shop.

"Where are you?"

"Close," B hissed. "Unnervingly close. Just not to you. Yagami-kun, was it? Is that what you're calling him? I wouldn't move if I were you or Wammy if he's listening in—Not if you don't want me to do something really unnecessary this soon into our game. Yagami-kun has his earphones in. He wouldn't hear me if I came up behind him…" B said, chuckling.

L felt the cold anger that only B knew how to incite within him start to rise to the surface.

"I am not going to let what happened in Los Angeles happen here as well," L said simply, the threat evident by the darkening of his tone. "We are ending this here."

"I agree," B said. "Los Angeles was just the warm-up. The real performance is about to begin. I've even been nice enough to find you one hell of a lead. He's something else, isn't he?; though the real question that we've both been asking ourselves is, what exactly will that be?" B said, cackling.

L heard the abrupt click that meant B had hung up on him, the high-pitched guttural sounds of B's laughter still resonating in his ears, like the cawing of a murder of crows taking flight after a bloody feast.

L snapped his cell phone shut, his jaw set, and his brows furrowed. He was certain he didn't get the trace, but more than that, what did B mean by what he had said about Raito…

Biting the tip of his thumb, L stared at the other side of the booth where moments ago Raito had been seated across from him, smiling affectionately; and for the first time in any case, L felt an extreme sinking feeling in the pit of his gut, like he had just walked into something that he had not fully prepared himself for…

* * *

A/N: Again apologies for how long chapters take, but Life… I swear I will finish this dammit! On another note, sexual tension is so fun to write.

Hypokrites—Greek word for Actor or Stage Player, and also where we get the word hypocrite from. Since Greek Actors wore masks while they were on stage the word hypokrites means "an interpreter from underneath."


End file.
